When it came to kickoff returns, South Atlanta had the upper hand against Carver-Atlanta. But in the overall scheme of things, it really meant the Panthers were superior on offense.

DeAndre Jackson returned two kickoffs for touchdowns but the Hornets lost their fourth straight game, a 65-14 decision to Carver at Lakewood Stadium on Saturday.

Montavious Taylor rushed for 284 yards and five touchdowns for the Panthers (7-0 overall, 3-0 sub-region 6B-AAAA), who scored the game’s first 38 points and also got two passing touchdowns, and a rushing TD from Jordan Holden.

“[Taylor] had a great game,” South Atlanta coach Julius Moses said. “He’s a very strong kid. A very fast kid. His line made some good blocking for him up front and once he got in the open field, he let his talent do the rest.”

Unfortunately for the Hornets, it seemed like every time the Panthers touched the football Taylor was in the end zone.

On the second play from scrimmage, Taylor sprinted 68 yards to pay dirt for a 6-0 lead before South Atlanta stopped the two-point conversion. Two plays after a Hornets’ punt, the score ballooned to 12-0 on a 6-yard touchdown run by Taylor with 8:26 left in the quarter.

Nearly two minutes later after Jackson‘s fumble, Tevish Clark added to the margin with a 25-yard TD run. On their next possession, Taylor started the drive with an 18-yard run and Jytez Pledger finished it with a 27-yard sprint to the end zone for a 25-0 advantage with 4:46 left in the frame.

Early in the second quarter, Holden placed his stamp on the contest with a 56-yard scoring pass to a leaping Gregory Smith for a 31-0 lead. After an interception by Aaron Williams, Taylor returned to the end zone with a 55-yard scamper.

Then Jackson made sure the Hornets were not going to get shut out. The senior running back received the ensuing kickoff and returned it 72 yards, cutting the deficit to 38-7.

“DeAndre has heart,” Moses said. “He is going to show up every game.”

But Taylor, Holden and Clark weren’t finished adding to Carver’s lead. Taylor had a 13-yard rushing score and Holden found Clark for a 13-yard TD completion, resulting in a 52-7 halftime score.

In the third quarter, Jackson had a 74-yard kickoff return and Taylor capped the scoring with a 63-yard touchdown run.

*We welcome your comments on the stories and issues of the day and seek to provide a forum for the community to voice opinions. All comments are subject to moderator approval before being made visible on the website but are not edited. The use of profanity, obscene and vulgar language, hate speech, and racial slurs is strictly prohibited. Advertisements, promotions, spam, and links to outside websites will also be rejected. Please read our terms of service for full guides